Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Army operation to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh). Executed on the morning of 13 April 1984 in the highest battlefield in the world, Meghdoot was the first military offensive of its kind. This operation preempted Pakistan's Operation Ababeel; and was a success. Resulting in Indian forces gaining control of the Siachen Glacier in its entirety.
| Operation Meghdoot | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Siachen conflict | |||||||||
Satellite imagery of the Siachen Glacier | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| India | Pakistan | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Giani Zail Singh (President of India) Lt Gen P N Hoon (GOC, XV Corps) Brig Vijay Channa (Commander, 26 Sector) Lt. Col. D K Khanna |
Gen. Zia-ul-Haq (President of Pakistan) Lt. Gen. Zahid Ali Akbar (Commander, X Corps) Brig. Pervez Musharraf | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 3,000+ | 3,000+ | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
Currently, the Indian Army remains the first and only army in the world to have deployed tanks and other heavy ordnance at altitudes well over 5,000 meters. Up to ten infantry battalions each of the Indian Army and Pakistan Army are actively deployed at high altitudes of up to 6,400 meters throughout the region due to the present Siachen conflict.